Rumaysa by Radiya Hafiza
Author:Radiya Hafiza
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Ayla looked round. A boy wearing an ornate mask studded with black gems was looking at her.
Ayla blushed. âUm, yes.â
The boy laughed. âIâm just joking.â
âOh, right,â she said, looking away.
There was an awkward pause as he stared at her without saying anything. Then:
âYourdressisbeautiful!â he said in one breath.
Ayla looked back round. âTh-thank you,â she stammered.
The boy smiled at her. âHave you been to the palace before?â
Ayla shook her head. âNo, this is my first time.â
âAre you enjoying it?â
Ayla wondered why this boy kept asking her all these questions. She really just wanted to eat her samosas, but she answered him anyway. âYes, I am. Have you been here before?â
âA few times,â he said casually, his golden cheeks turning red.
âRight,â Ayla said slowly.
âSorry, Iâm really terrible at this. Iâve never spoken to a girl like you before.â The boy was falling over his words.
Ayla found herself smiling. âItâs OK â you donât have to apologize. I find talking to new people a bit scary too.â
The boy smiled sheepishly back. He had olive-green eyes framed by dark lashes and a kind smile that Ayla found warming.
âWould you like a samosa?â Ayla offered.
âThank you,â he said, taking one. âIâm Harun, by the way.â He inclined his head in a bow.
âNice to meet you,â she replied.
He looked at her curiously for a moment. âAre you enjoying the show?â he asked, looking rather amused.
âYes, I loved Layla and Majnun! Itâs such a beautiful story,â Ayla gushed.
He looked taken aback. âReally? I think itâs terrible. Majnun just cries about wanting to marry Layla and it being forbidden â if I were him, I would just go and get the love of my life.â
âBut they hide Layla from him!â Ayla countered. âHe spends his whole life waiting for her!â
Harun grimaced. âWhat kind of true love waits? You donât just wait around for someone; you have to do something to get them!â
âBut thatâs the whole point â their love doesnât depend on being together or what they get from each other. They love each other regardless,â Ayla said defiantly.
Harun looked unconvinced. âWhy wish for something when you could just make it happen?â
âSo what would happen in your version?â Ayla asked, offended that Harun was trying to crush her perception of Layla and Majnun.
âGet this,â Harun said excitedly. âMajnun is forbidden to marry Layla, right? So instead of rolling over, he takes all his riches, and whatever else he needs, gets a horse, breaks Layla out and they run away to somewhere no one can find them. Job done: they all live happily ever after.â
Ayla stared at him, unimpressed. âWhereâs the story in that? Did you ever think that maybe Layla could break herself out?â
âWould you rather they werenât together?â Harun said, shocked Ayla wasnât impressed by his version of events.
âNo, of course I want them to end up together, but with a bit more excitement! There needs to be a battle of some sort where they fight for each other, and some difficulties on their travels before they get to live happily ever after.
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Dark Humor | Humorous |
Satire |
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